A heated-up 1-series against a thoroughbred sports car? Have we gone mad? Not really. The M135i is one of the very best fast BMWs of recent years, despite being an ‘M Performance’ model rather than a fully-blown M Division product. And the Porsche 911 is still picking its wounds a little, the new 991-generation car beaten in its debut group test at the start of 2012.

A spec table comparison fares the BMW well, too. It weighs 45kg more than the Porsche and possesses nearly 30bhp less, but with its in-line six-cylinder engine turbocharged (and the 911’s flat-six naturally aspirated, as tradition dictates), it boasts 332lb ft – 44lb ft more than the Carrera and enough for it to lag just 0.1sec behind in the 0-62mph dash (at 4.9sec).

Performance should be very close on track, then, and while price is far from a key factor at evo Car of the Year, the Porsche starts at £71,449, well over double the BMW’s £29,995. Could a giant killing be on the cards?

2 series a smaller 4? Well all the BMW's are starting to have a very strong family resemblance. 4 will probably look like a shrunken 6 and so on. The M235i will probably be very much like the M135i under the skin, with a coupe roof line and a few other appearance tweaks.

But I would always choose a lower specced car with a better engine over a higher specced car with a lesser engine...

Dude trust me, If i would be still livin in states i would be also driving V8's, and not give a f*ck about gas price!
So i hear you on the bigger engines, but you gotta keep in mind that your average gas price is half the price from the ones i get here, plus average salary in PL is maybe one of a third from what your getting...

Dude trust me, If i would be still livin in states i would be also driving V8's, and not give a f*ck about gas price!
So i hear you on the bigger engines, but you gotta keep in mind that your average gas price is half the price from the ones i get here, plus average salary in PL is maybe one of a third from what your getting...

stupid economy

In Norway we have pretty good salaries, but the cars with bigger engines have extreme taxes, so we still struggle to afford them. That is why the 116 is the common choice here.

Besides, our speed limits are rather low, so high power engines are wasted anyway.